'Camaraderie with other businesses'

Business event
showcases regional efforts

WOOSTER -- The 2013 Wayne County Business Showcase on Thursday was a hub for interactions among businesses looking to expand and grow, especially across the region.

"It's all about seeing current clients and seeing some new ones too," said Andrew Kuntz, president at Wooster Printing and Litho and a long-time vendor at the showcase.

Kuntz said with his business he tries to focus on being local and the showcase is a good opportunity for business-to-business interaction.

"It's about the camaraderie with other businesses you don't always get to see," his daughter, Heather Kuntz, said, also with Wooster Printing, one of the 100 companies from Wayne and Stark counties at the Buckeye Event Center in Dalton. The 2013 version of the long-running showcase had a mix of companies spanning from health care to technology and IT, to financial organizations and hospitality businesses.

"This is our strongest year to date, with over 95 exhibitors ... it seems to be a good mix of Wayne and Stark County businesses," said Justin Starlin, president of the Wooster Area Chamber of Commerce.

The Wooster Chamber presented the event along with chambers from Rittman, Orrville, Massillon and Jackson-Belden.

The showcase technically started with Wednesday's "preview night." But Thursday was the "customer focus" for exhibitors at the showcase.

Brian Boyer, managing partner of Web Pyro, was in attendance for his first showcase. Coincidentally, he was positioned next to Pole Position Marketing, a Uniontown based company which works extensively with Web Pyro.

"They navigate, we drive," Boyer explained of the business relationship with Pole Position, which specializes in search engine optimization.

"I'm really here looking for other businesses who are interested in our services," Boyer explained, since Web Pyro itself is a very business-to-business company.

Boyer added Web Pyro is seeing positive trends in the business climate as more companies are "investing in themselves" and moving forward with marketing strategies, which Web Pyro does.

Richard Storck, owner of

Storck Film Design in Wooster, said he was at the showcase for the second year in order to continue work and grow into other counties.

Storck had a variety of work samples on display at his booth, including a recently completed marketing video for SoHo Chick, a Wooster company which sells women's apparel, and a video for CNC Industrial.

"I like the fact (the showcase) crosses county lines because I want to cross county lines," Storck said, adding there are many opportunities across the region. His business for one has started working more regionally and has had projects with Stark County clients.

Reporter Steve Huszai can be reached at 330-287-1645 or shuszai@the-daily-record.com. He is @GeneralSmithie on Twitter.